U.S. to Buy Illinois Prison Once Slated for Gitmo Inmates

By

Evan Perez

Oct. 2, 2012 7:27 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department said Tuesday that it is buying a prison in Illinois from the state for $165 million, defying Republican lawmakers who have sought to block the purchase of the facility, earlier slated to be the new home of Guantanamo Bay prisoners.

Attorney General Eric Holder, in a letter to lawmakers, reiterated that the prison wouldn't be used to house Guantanamo detainees, noting the law prohibits transferring inmates from the prison in Cuba to the U.S. He said the facility would provide badly needed...